Morris County Roofers: Article About Heated Roofing

Term explained by the expert roofers at Peter W Smith Construction, Morris County NJ:Underlayment

Often made of tar paper, a roof underlayment provides an extra layer of protection against water damage and leaks. Underlayments are generally installed on top of the roof deck and below shingles and weatherstripping.

Morris County roofers answer a common question:How much will it cost to have heated roofing installed?

The costs of having heating mats installed with roofing will generally depend on the type of mats being installed and the area that they will need to cover. Larger areas will naturally be associated with higher costs. A roofing contractor can provide an estimate for both material and labor costs to install these mats.

Peter W Smith Construction: Reliable Roofing Morris County NJ

In areas where snow is common, especially if snow builds up on roofs, two potential problems homeowners can face are the development of ice dams and roof collapses, and the two are often related. Snow is very heavy, especially when it accumulates on the roof after days of snow fall. If the amount of snow on a roof exceeds the roof's weight bearing capacity, it could cause a partial or complete roofing collapse.

Ice dams are also a common issue, and they can add an ever greater weight burden to a roof on top of snow that has collected on it. When heat escapes a roof, often due to poor insulation, it may cause the snow on a roof to melt. Melted snow will drain to the edge of a roof, where it freezes when it hits colder air.

This can create an ice dam, which prevents additional melted snow from freezing or flowing off of a roof. When water sits on a roof for a long period of time, it can lead to leaks, even if Morris County roofers installed an underlayment.

The roofers from Peter W Smith Construction of Morris County NJ would be happy to answer any questions you have about siding repair or roof repair.

Depressions may also form in a roof where melted snow sits, creating areas where greater and greater amounts of water can sit and can potentially lead to a partial collapse.

One way that homeowners can help avoid leaks and collapses related to snow and ice dams is to have heated roofing installed. Heated roofing is applied in heated mats that contractors can place underneath the shingles. They can be installed under just about any type of roofing, and they work on both flat and inclined roofs. Most heated mats come with an adhesive backing, so they are simple to install, which keeps installation labor costs low.

These heated mats work by transferring enough warmth to shingles to melt snow. Ensuring that snow not only melts, but also does not freeze again at the edge of a roof, both prevents snow buildup and keeps ice dams from forming. Melted snow can flow into gutters and be diverted away from a home in the same way that rainwater is.

Although some older systems may have been considered energy inefficient, newer heating mats do not run all of the time. They usually become functional when an internal timer system activates or when they detect a certain amount of moisture. Newer systems only run when they are needed, which may only be a few hours a day, so they do not waste large amounts of energy.

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